Nib #32 - Stick the Landing
There are three reasons writers should apply Strunk & White’s 22nd principle of composition: “Place the emphatic words of a sentence at the end.”
First, as Strunk and White themselves note, the end of a sentence is the logical place to introduce new information — the punchline, the pivot, the conclusion, the twist, the reveal.
Second, there’s the beat. Even when reading silently, readers pause slightly in between sentences. The last word before the period hangs in the air, charging that brief moment with its energy, like the last note of a musical phrase. Strong closing words propel readers forward like a springboard.
Finally, because concluding thoughts with strong words makes for more effective communication, human beings already talk like that. Think of your favorite movie lines, Scripture passages, or inspirational quotes — they’ll all stick the landing.
“Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.”
“Mr. Gorbechev, tear down this wall.”
“In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.”
“In the beginning was the Word.”
“Leave the gun. Take the cannoli.”
Next time you’re struggling to make a sentence work, try moving its strongest word to the end, and reorganzing from there.
Until next week… keep writing!
